


The Token Gays

by Realsupergirl



Series: Queering the Canon [2]
Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:48:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23352715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Realsupergirl/pseuds/Realsupergirl
Summary: Luna Lovegood takes Nico Di Angelo to a gay bar, and they make a new friend.  This takes place after "First Girlfriends."
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Series: Queering the Canon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679644
Kudos: 3





	The Token Gays

The Token Gays

Luna Lovegood had only ever been to a gay bar twice. It had been nice, but kind of awkward. Once she went with two friends from Hogwarts, and the other time she went on a date. The relationship hadn't worked out, but it had been fun at the time. Now that she had and lost her first girlfriend she felt so much wiser and older, even though it had only been six months since she first came out. 

When she was with Nico Di Angelo she felt like like she was his mother. She felt OLD. Really, really old. She wanted to take hime home and make him hot chocolate and tuck him into bed, even though she knew he'd scowl at her and stomp off. He wasn't a child. He was a nineteen year old man who had survived the Underworld and the near end of this world, and yet he'd only had one boyfriend. 

Luna was determined to change all that. 

She came back to the muggle gay bar that she's been to before, with Parvati. It was a sentimental place for her now. The place where she first realized there were other queer wizards and witches in the world, where she didn't feel like a freak for wanting to kiss a girl. It was kind of small and loud and cramped and the food wasn't very good, but it was a special place to Luna, and it probably always would be. 

"I don't like it here," Nico said immediately. His lower lip turned down into a scowl, but Luna was used to that. He was one of the grumpiest people she’d ever met, even grumpier than the months she spent being held captive in the Malfoys’ basement with the great wandmaker Ollivander. 

“I know, clubs are kind of lame, aren’t they?” Luna agreed. “Everyone here seems like they’re trying to be someone they’re not.” 

Nico glanced around. “It’s not that this is a place for couples. Or people looking to become a couple. We don’t belong here.” 

“Why can’t we look?” Luna asked. 

“I’m in a relationship, Luna. You know that.” 

“You’re on a break. You’ve been on a break for a year. First loves aren’t supposed to last forever, you know,” Luna nodded wisely at him. “Look at me and Parvati.” 

“Will and I are still together. We’re just…taking some time. He’s busy. I’m busy,” Nico said. 

“Will adores you, but you never really gave him a chance,” Luna said. 

“What do you mean?” Nico whirled around. Somehow, Luna had managed to make them drift further into the club, so that now they were standing right beside the bar and a few feet away from the dance floor. A handsome boy in a glittery blue shirt gestured at Nico, trying to invite him to dance, but Nico waved him off. 

“Oh, go on,” Luna pushed Nico’s arm a little. “He’s cute.” 

‘I thought you didn’t go for boys,” Nico smirked at her. 

“Objectively speaking,” Luna said simply. “Besides, it’s one dance.” 

“I don’t dance,” Nico said. 

“Will you dance with me?” Luna tried to take his hand. 

Nico pulled it away, but he looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Will was always trying to take me our dancing. I’m just not…comfortable.” 

“Some people drink alcohol to get over that,” Luna said bluntly. “I think muggles do that a lot. Do demigods do that, too?” 

Nico grimaced awkwardly. Nico hardly liked to hear his own voice aloud, hardly liked to talk, Luna was so uncomfortably direct and forward. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it, but he kind of liked it. Somehow it made things easier. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. You always knew where you stood with Luna. 

“I never knew there were any other gay witches, you know,” Luna leaned over to whisper to Nico. “It was such a relief to realize I wasn’t the only one.” 

“Same,” Nico grunted gruffly. Somehow before he knew Will was gay too, and mystifyingly, even attracted to him, he didn’t think there had ever been a demigod like him. He felt like it was part of his child of Hades curse – destined to live a life of loneliness and grief. Suddenly he was Will’s boyfriend and Will knew all these other gay demigods. How could he not have know of them before? Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to let Will go, even though he knew deep down, he’d outgrown him. Will was still in high school, Nico was supposed to be in college. He needed to grow up, but he didn’t know how. He’d spent so much of his life trying to survive he never contemplated what he could do with his life if he did survive. 

“I felt like I outgrew Parvati,” Luna was looking at him. Witches had some sort of mindreading ability too, like some demigods he knew. Nico always forgot that until he could feel Luna reading his thoughts. He shook his head, like she was a fly he was trying to swat away from it. 

“I don’t want to outgrow Will,” Nico said. “I still love him.” 

“Oh, I still love Parvati, too,” Luna said. “I think we always love our first loves.” 

“Some people stay with their first loves,” Nico said, thinking or Percy and Annabeth and Jason and Piper, Hazel and Frank. “Or is that something only straight people get to do?” 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Luna smiled. “I used to think the same thing about Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione. But they weren’t each others’ first loves. They just got to do more dating around earlier than we did.” 

“Yeah,” Nico said. “Also, they might not last forever. I really don’t know how Annabeth puts up with Percy. She could do better.” 

“Isn’t he the one you said you had a crush on?” 

“A long time ago. Before I got to know him,” Nico said wisely. 

“Hello,” A voice came up from behind Luna and made Nico jump a little. A very handsome dark haired man was standing right behind Luna, towering over her both in height and in contrast to her white-blonde hair. 

“Do I know you?” Luna looked up at him sweetly. Sometimes Nico really thought she was too trusting, too naïve. Nico scowled and glared at the man but he just smiled pleasantly back at him. 

“I’m Kevin. Kevin Keller,” the man said. He seemed to be expecting them to know who he was. Nico concluded this meant he was a mortal, because mortals were always thinking they were way more well-known than they actually were. Or should be. 

“Luna,” Luna stuck out her hand pleasantly. Nico didn’t say anything, he figured maybe if he ignored him he would go away. 

“I come here every weekend and I’ve never seen you two here before,” Kevin said. “I thought I’d introduced myself. Plus,” his hand wandered deftly ward Nico and brushed his arm, “You’re cute.” 

Nico wanted to keep scowling but he couldn’t deny the flutter he felt. It felt like such a relief to know that Will was attracted to him. that anyone could be attracted to him, and then the novelty of that wore off. Now he felt it again. In both directions. 

“His name is Nico,” Luna said. 

“Hi, Nico,” Kevin locked eyes with Nico and refused to let go. 

They held each other’s gaze for a few minutes and Luna shuffled around, clearly not sure what to do with herself. Nico had the urge to grab this stranger’s face and kiss him, but he wasn’t like that. He’d probably get injured if he tried.  
“You look like you’ve never been to a gay bar before, Nico,” Kevin said softly. 

“He hasn’t! It’s his first time,” Luna piped in. Nico wanted to kill her. 

“Well, welcome,” Kevin said. “I’m glad you came.” 

There was something so enticing and alluring in the way Kevin lingered over each word and continued to maintain intense, erotic eye contact with him. Was it easier for gay people to be gay in the mortal world? He’d never met anyone quite so comfortable with himself as Kevin. Not even Will, who was confident because he was a son of Apollo and a brilliant healer and athlete. Not because he was gay. 

“Muggle people struggle with being queer too, you know,” Luna chimed in. She was reading his thoughts again. 

“Oh for sure,” Kevin broke his gaze at last, but his hand drifted down toward Nico’s and touched fingers with him lightly. “I used to think I was the only gay person in Riverdale.” 

“Where’s that?” Luna asked. 

Kevin waved her off. “Nowhere, really.” 

His fingers were still touching Nico’s, and he allowed their fingers to link and join one another’s. 

“I’d really like to dance with you,” Kevin said. 

“I don’t dance,” Nico pulled his hand away. 

“It’s a slow song,” Kevin tipped Nico’s chin back up so he could meet his gaze again. “All you have to do is rock back and forth a little.” 

“That’s what I told him!” Luna looked pleased with herself, but she was edging a little further away, like she was trying to disappear in the crowd. 

“So…will you?” Kevin reached out to touch his hand again. 

Nico didn’t know what he was doing or why he was doing it. He didn’t dance. He didn’t belong here. But Kevin was so handsome, so intense, so intriguing he couldn’t quite refuse him. He hadn’t felt like this since he first discovered Will liked him the way that he liked Percy for so long. It was hard to refuse the feeling of being wanted. 

He followed Kevin onto the dance floor and pressed his body into his.


End file.
